Finally
by TheRiverUnbroken
Summary: What if Jude was rescued by Lana? How would she get her life back? What would become of Sister Jude?
1. Finally Free

"Sister Jude….I'm coming back for you."

It had been a week since Lana had escaped from Briarcliff with the help of Mother Claudia and it brought Jude joy that someone finally got out. She was trapped in the place but she deserved everything that they did to her. She has so many wrongs in her ledger from when she was the head of the asylum and she now understood that this was her punishment - her punishment was perfect. She was tormented daily just like she had tormented the patients here will she was in charge. Some days were better than others and she enjoyed the fact that so many were still afraid of her. She would spend her afternoons watching for a sign of trouble so she could intervene just to show all of them that she still was the same Sister Jude they had all known and nothing they could do would change that. She also watched and intervened so that she would save a lost child from an unjust punishment. It took being committed to Briarcliff to open her eyes to how lost these poor children of God truly were and that all they needed was for someone to look out for them and show them some kind of love. She took them under her broken wings hoping that somehow protecting them from the evil within the asylum would make up for all she had done.

Today was to be an odd day. Usually she would be escorted to the common room after her daily soak in the hydrotherapy room but instead today she was taken back to her ceil. Once the door closed behind her and the orderly put the key in the lock, Jude knew that something was going to happen but whether it was good or bad she couldn't decide but it set her nerves on edge.

"Something major is going to happen or they wouldn't be hiding me away." She spent the next three hours pacing her ceil while thinking about the promise Lana had whispered to her before escaping−"I'm coming back for you." Had Lana actually come back for her and if she had Timothy wasn't going to let her go without a fight that much was clear. "Please let Lana keep her promise." She pleaded with the crucifix that hung over her bed hoping that her beloved Father could still hear her in this horrible place. The sound of keys turning a lock made Jude jump. Someone was entering the corridor and by the sounds of it they weren't alone. Moving closer to the door, Jude strained to hear the muffled conversation that was taking place at the far end of the hall.

"Miss Winter…not here…go back….office…common room…"

She could only make out parts of the conversation but it was enough. Lana was searching for her and she wasn't letting Timothy stop her from searching the entire facility. Timothy was trying everything to keep her locked away but Lana wasn't going to let him get away with it. Jude's heart was racing; she had to do something to let Lana know that she was here. She pressed her face to the tiny window and screamed as loudly as she could.

"Lana Banana…I'm here…Please!"

There was silence and then the sound of running feet and the hurried jingle of keys.

"Sister Jude!" Lana's face appeared in the window and she was smiling. "I came back for you like I promised." The door swag open and Lana flung her around the older woman. "Sister, you're coming with me. I'm getting you out of this place because you don't belong here." Lana turned to the Monsignor with anger on her face, she voiced her outrage. "She's dead?! Killed herself? Well Monsignor looks like Sister Jude is alive to me and stronger than ever. She never stopped fighting and it pissed you off, didn't it?! You took everything away from her in the hopes that she would give up and keep quite but it's not going to happen. I'll see to it that your true nature is revealed. You monster."

Jude let out a giggle when she looked into Timothy's eyes. "Well Timothy let's see what becomes of your beloved dream now that you can no longer keep me locked away. I'm free and I'm not going to be quite about everything you did to me nor what happened to the many patients here under my care. I am partly to blame for the mistreatment of these lost children but you are the reason many of them are missing. You know they're dead and that Dr. Arden is responsible. The truth will see the light of day."

The Monsignor turned to the officers and tried one last time to keep Jude from leaving Briarcliff. "Officers, Jude had been placed here after killing one of our guards and keeping a patient prisoner in her former office. She was stripped of her clerical standing because of her crimes and she won't be leaving Briarcliff anytime soon…"

The shorter officer stepped up the Monsignor and handed him a piece of paper. "I believe the Judge disagrees, Father. You see when Mother Claudia was transferred, she sent Miss Winters a journal that belonged to a young nun named Mary Eunice." Monsignor's face turned a ghostly white but the officer continued. "In the journal it states that Jude was framed for the murder of Frank McCann and that Mary Eunice had killed him in order to get Jude removed from her position here at Briarcliff."

The look of terror on Timothy's face caused Jude to smirk and she couldn't help herself from slipping a "I told you" from her lips. Timothy opened his mouth but the officer continued, "it also states that Sister Jude was locked in her office with Lee Emerson in the hopes that he would kill her but instead Lee couldn't resist the urge to play out his fantasies regarding the Sister but he was stabbed by Jude." The other officer stepped to the other side of Jude and began walking her down the corridor with the help of Lana. The short officer kept up with the Monsignor's quick steps and when they got to the lobby of the asylum, he got into Monsignor's face one last time. "So Monsignor, Sister Jude has been released by a judge because she has been wrongly accused and held against her will here at Briarcliff and once all the paperwork is filed she will be testifying against you in a court of law." The officer turned to Jude and held his hand out to her which she accepted. She was a free woman and Lana had lived up to her promise.

Lana stood next to her still with the other officer standing next to her and she realized that she felt safe for the first time in weeks. Lana squeezed her hand and when Jude looked at her, Lana smiled. "Sister Jude, we need to get you something to wear because the clothing you're currently wearing won't protect you from the cold air. Where are all of the patients belongings held?"

Jude had to think for a moment, it had been so long since she had to think about the storage room for belonging that would never be used again. "All the belongings the patients aren't allowed to have are kept in a room next the bakery."

Squeezing her hand again Lana to her that she would be right back with her belongings and then they could leave. Once Lana was back and she had changed into a plain black dress and matching heels they started for the doors of Briarcliff. Before Jude walked out the door, she turned to look at Timothy once last time. There were so many things she wanted to say to him but now was not the time. Instead she looked him dead in the eyes and said, "You will not prevail Timothy. My God would never allow it."


	2. Finally Able to Forgive

**Ch 2 Finally Able to Forgive**

* * *

**Two months later….**

Jude found herself sitting across from the two officers that had helped release her from Briarcliff and she could tell by expressions that they had something to tell her, something that they were very reluctant to tell her. "It has to be something dealing with the case or I wouldn't be here." She thought to herself trying to figure out what was going on and why she had been summoned here from Pittsburgh. The shorter officer was smiling at her and she realized that he must have asked her a question.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

"How have you been Sister? We haven't seen each other for almost two months and from what I've heard, you've been very busy between the hospital visits and helping run the school for wayward girls."

Taking a deep breath, she smiled back before replying. "Yes, I have been very busy trying to get my health back and working with the other Sisters to guide the young girls. It's been a very long two months but I am very thankful to be out of Briarcliff and have another chance to help others." It was true; the last two months had been very busy. She had been in and out of the hospital due to being force fed drugs and tormented for what felt like an eternity. "I must admit that going through detox was one of the worst things I have ever had to go through and then all of the medication they put me on to help recover my memory when there are plenty of things that I would prefer to never remember. But don't worry; I'm finally beginning to feel like myself again."

During her recovery, she had spent plenty of time in the hospital chapel trying to regain her faith, her trust, and her ability to forgive. It wasn't hard to strengthen her faith due to the fact that she had been given a second chance but her trust and ability to forgive were harder for her to regain. She had always trusted Mother Claudia and still trusted her dear friend but she couldn't bring herself to trust others so easily after what Timothy had done to her. She couldn't bring herself to forgive Timothy for throwing her to the wolves and then turning a blind eye when he knew what they were doing to her. It had been easy for her to forgive Mary for what she had done to her because the poor thing had been taken over by the devil and had to control over what was being done in her name. It still broke her heart to think about Mary but Timothy caused her the most pain. She knew it had been wrong to be attracted to him but she had been blinded by her desire to be loved but now she could reveal his true nature to the world and she fully intended to do so with the help of the two officers sitting quietly across from her.

Hearing her name brought Jude from her haunting thoughts in order to address whatever the two officers wished to tell her. It was time to get to the bottom of this.

"I'm truly sorry. I seem to be off in my own world today. I fear it's a lasting effect from my time at Briarcliff but anyway what did you two wish to discuss with me?"

The two were silent for a moment while they shared glances at each other trying to figure out who would be the one to tell the Sister the bad news. Clearing his throat, the shorter officer spoke in a hushed tone, "Sister, we're afraid we have some bad news." He paused, waiting for her to acknowledge what he had said.

"What's happened?" She was beginning to panic because there was this nagging feeling that told her that she was going to be sent back to Briarcliff. She knew that Timothy had spent the last two months trying whatever he could to get her committed back to Briarcliff. Then it hit her like a blow to the gut, they were sending her back. "I'm not going back!" She screamed. "I didn't kill Frank or anyone for that matter! You can't send me back, I'm begging you, don't send me back."

The shorter officer jumped out of chair and raced to Jude's side. He grabbed her hands and rubbed calming circles on them hoping it would help the poor woman's nerves. "She has been through so much but why would she think we were sending her back to that horrible place?" He thought.

"Sister Jude, please look at me." He waited until she tilted her head towards him, noticing the tears running down her cheeks. "Don't cry, Sister. We're not sending you back. You don't belong there but there isn't going to be a court hearing. They will be monitoring Briarcliff closer from now on and they are putting another priest in charge in the hopes that he will be able to turn the place around but we won't be able to file charges against Cardinal Howard."

"What do you mean won't be able to file charges against Timothy? He held me against my will, he allowed them to torment me, and he allowed Arden to experiment on patients that didn't have family which ultimately ended in their deaths. Tell me what happened! I have the right to know what robbed me of my chance to set things right."

"I don't know how to tell you this, Jude, but Cardinal Howard was found yesterday morning." The look on her face told him that she didn't understand what he was trying to tell her so he tried to tell her without causing her more distress. "Jude, he killed himself using a straight edge razor. We believe it's the same razor that was used to kill Frank McCann."

She couldn't understand what they had just told her. She was heartbroken to know that Timothy was dead; she wished him to suffer for what he had done but she never imagined that he would take his own life. She was shocked that he would do something like this because it went against everything that he stood for but then again he had allowed so many things to happen that went against what he was suppose to stand for. "He killed himself? Why?"

"We don't know. He left two letters. One that only said I'm sorry while the other was addressed to you. We haven't opened the letter that was addressed to you but with Cardinal Howard's death there will be no case. But Briarcliff had been placed in the hands of a different priest and will be closely monitored by the state and local authorities. We're sorry, Jude, but there is nothing more we can do."

She wiped the tears from her face and composed herself so that she would be able to leave the station without being stared at. She needed to get out of this place and just find a place to think. She stood and with a brief nod to each of the officers she went to leave the office. "Thank you for everything you've done for me." She walked out of the room with clenched fists and a heavy heart but before she made it to the door to the station she turned around and marched back to the office she had previously been in. She needed to get Timothy's letter. Lightly knocking on the door frame she stepped back into the office and with a trembling voice she asked for what had made her turn around. "I was wondering if I could have the letter addressed to me. I just want to know what his last thoughts were and why he thought of me."

The short officer gave her a sad smile and stood. "Of course, let me go get it out of evidence. I'll be right back." It didn't take him very long to return with the white envelope that Timothy had left for her. When it was in her hands, she turned to leave but stopped to thank the officer again. "Thank you, Detective." With the envelope held tightly against her chest Jude left the station without another word.

* * *

Sitting in her small apartment, Jude stared at the white envelope that had her name written on it. He hadn't addressed it with Sister Jude but instead he used her name – Judith Martin. He had killed the Sister Jude he had known maybe it had helped him get past the guilt but why had he addressed it with her given name? He had never called her Judith not even Judy. He had only ever called her Jude even when he had renamed her Betty Drake, he still called her Jude. Looking at the envelope caused her mind to wander about what could possibly be inside. What excuse could he give for what he had done; would he explain why he addressed it the way he had; would he tell her everything in a last effort to unburden his soul before he took his own life? The white envelope mocked her from across the room but no matter what her mind came up for its content she couldn't bring herself to open it. She took a deep breath and tried to clear her cluttered mind. She whispered a prayer for the courage to accept whatever was inside the envelope and for the strength to forgive Timothy.

Standing from her bed, she gave herself a pep talk. "Alright, Jude, time to grow a pair." She picked up the envelope and ripped it open. There were three pieces of paper folded together and Jude carefully removed them. She unfolded them and began to read the first paper. She couldn't believe her eyes. The first paper was a written statement saying that she had been wrongfully imprisoned and stripped of her clerical standing in order to keep her from revealing the horrors that had been taking place at Briarcliff for years without her knowledge. The paper also stated that there were files hidden within Briarcliff that would support everything she had reported to the police and where they could be found. She placed the first paper on the table and began reading the second paper. The second paper was a petition to get her reinstated as a sister of the Roman Catholic Church which had a stamp of approval by the Magistrate. She couldn't believe what she was reading. She was officially a Sister again and she couldn't be happier. He had corrected all that he could. She had been working in Pittsburgh where they all called her Sister but she really wasn't a member of the cloth but now she could have her life back.

"Why did you do all of this, Timothy? You have been trying for months to get me back to Briarcliff only to ultimately give me everything back? Why? I wish you were here to explain all of this to me, Timothy because I'm certainly confused by your actions. What made you change your heart in regards to me?"

Taking another deep breath, she turned her attention to the third and final paper. It was a personal letter addressed to her, his rare bird.

**_My rare bird,_**

**_I have done a great many wrongs to you and for all of them I am deeply sorry. My soul is filled with regret at what I have done. I allowed the devil to walk freely within the halls of Briarcliff, within our dear Mary and Dr. Arden. You had been right to be concerned about Arden and with my connection to his works but please believe me when I say that I was not aware of the extent of his experiments until it was too late. I had no idea what he was doing in his lab until I was summoned to the local hospital to give last rights to a woman they found on playground. When I realized who it was laying in the bed, I knew instantly who had been responsible. Poor Shelley had been tormented by Arden. She begged for death once she saw me at her bedside and I did as she asked. I knew then that Arden was a monster but I had no way out for I had had given him access to our patients. I tried to get you to leave Briarcliff. I wanted to see that you were safe but you wanted to protect me. You had no idea that I was already too far gone for anyone to save. There are so many things I wish I could take back but I cannot undo what I have done._**

**_Judith, I am filled with regret when I think of you. You brought so much joy to my life; you were my right hand and I meant every word that night at dinner. I dreamed of the two of us together in Rome but that dream disappeared when Mary told me that you had killed Frank. My heart broke even more so when I had to commit you to Briarcliff. I was a fool for believing that you had committed such a heinous act. You have always been a loving and caring woman and I'm so very sorry for taking advantage of you. Judith, you have always been a true and loyal friend, the only one I could unburden my soul to with the knowledge that you would not judge me and I should have done the same for you. I should have listened to you._**

**_You are far better off my Rare Bird. Always remember that you were right and that no one can stop you from speaking the truth. I love you, Judith and I have since I first met you._**

**_Take care of yourself my Rare Bird._**

**_Timothy._**

The letter slipped from her fingers and hit the floor while a sob escaped from deep within her soul. He had loved her but the devil had taken him away. "Oh Timothy, why did you leave me; I could have helped you but you locked me away and sealed your fate. I saw the despair in your eyes when I left Briarcliff. You knew that your fate was sealed and I was too focused on revenge to save you." She curled up in a ball and cried until she couldn't cry any longer. Even though her tears had stopped her heart still wept for the man she had lost. Before falling into a deep restless sleep, she whispered into the dark hoping that Timothy could hear her. She whispered her love and devotion to the Timothy she had fallen in love with and that she forgive him for the man he had turned into. When she woke the next morning, she knew that things would finally start coming back together because she had been able to finally forgive not only Timothy but herself for what had been allowed to happen at Briarcliff. She had finally escaped a life filled with horrors and was now able to live a life devoted to saving the lost children. She was finally able to find the meaning of her life-she was meant to go through hell so that she could help guide others though it without being damaged.


End file.
